An investment of around 600,000 euros will be applied to the Health Innovation Hub of the Campus 5 of Polytechnic of Leiria, in order to enhance the comfort of the building and adapt the spaces, allowing an optimization of the functioning, particularly at scientific and pedagogical level, for the health area.
In particular, the requalification project aims to improve the Assistive Technology and Occupational Performance Laboratory (aTOPLab) and the Health Simulation Center (C2S), as well as the creation of two new laboratories, one in the scope of Nutrition and Food Technology and other in the area of Functional Rehabilitation and Physical Activity. “This intervention aims to restructure several spaces of the building, contemplating the improvement and creation of new reference laboratories in the health area, bringing benefits to students, professors and researchers from the School of Health Sciences (ESSLei) and ciTechCare”, explained Carlos Rabadão, president of the Polytechnic of Leiria.
Funded by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), through the project ‘Skills4Future’, the work has begun in august and will last for 6 months, allowing a general intervention, not only in the interior of the building, but also in its exterior.
“We are launching the zero-day of the next life of this building,” said Rui Pinto, Director of the School of Health Sciences of the Polytechnic of Leiria and researcher at ciTechCare, on July 25, at the time of the consignment ceremony for the rehabilitation of the Health Innovation Hub building.
The building known today as the Health Innovation Hub was the former Nursing School, 30 years ago. Since then, this place hosted a huge amount of events, classes and other important practices. Today, the Hub supports most of the ciTechCare activities, the medical services of Polytechnic of Leiria, the Leiria Social Innovatin Hub led by Startup Leiria and has hosted several medical appointments from the Hospital Center of Leiria, mainly in the area of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Psychiatry.
“It is a building where there is much dynamism, versatility and ambition, with a constant rush of students, researchers, health professionals from the Hospital Center of Leiria, community-oriented projects, clinical trials”, highlighted the director of ESSLei.
Rui Fonseca-Pinto added the importance of this investment in the mid- and long-term, based on the acquisition of new materials and infrastructures to support research and to better serve the community, for example those who attend the aTOPlab.
Gonçalo Lopes, Mayor of Leiria was also present in this ceremony, where praised the relationship between the academy and the municipality and pointed out the role of this requalification project for the overall health performance in the region and its attractiveness for the community and healthcare professionals.
